Our books
Writing at Work
Neil James sets out the principles of good communication in this manual for clear, effective and professional writing. He explores all the key elements of plain English, from structuring a text well to choosing the right tone.
Writing at Work has been road-tested in our writing skills workshops with professionals from government and law, business and finance, engineering and IT.
It's a practical guide for anyone who needs to get it right the first time, whether they're writing reports, letters, emails, submissions or memos.
In every workplace, even the best ideas can fail if you can't communicate them effectively.
Modern Manglish
When exactly did we all become 'stakeholders seeking to leverage our paradigms to achieve best-practice scenarios moving forward'?
Modern Manglish, by Neil James and Harold Scruby with illustrations by Alan Moir, exposes the mangled language of serially offending professions like politics, business and the law.
New contenders for the Manglish crown range from sports talk to silly signs, and food speak to fancy-pants job titles. This entertaining book also explores traditional linguistic traps, such as mixed metaphors, tautologies and jargon.
We are delighted to feature some of Alan Moir's fantastic cartoons from the book on our website. To see more of Alan's work, please visit www.moir.com.au.
Reviews of Writing at Work
Businesses are beset by their own bad writing, which bewilders and baffles their internal and external customers. Readers crave clarity and brevity. This excellent book shows how to give them what they want.
Martin Cutts, author of The Oxford Guide to Plain English
I can’t see myself having to consult another handbook on non-fiction writing ever again.
Angela Danis, freelance editor of Blue Pencil
Hopefully a big bag of James’s books finds its way into the bureaucracy.
Ray Chesterton, journalist for the Daily Telegraph
Reviews of Modern Manglish
Your survival manual for the language jungle.
Bill Lutz, author of Doublespeak
If you love language, this book will make you laugh and groan out loud.
Lucy Sussex, author and academic
A must read for all politicians, business-people, and sports commentators.
Leo Schofield, journalist